Hungry for Truth, Peace and Justice

As Always FDU’s Ingabire preaches “Never Again” to Tutsi Genocide

By RNA Reporter
January 2010

Under fire from all sides in Rwanda, politician Ms. Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza is reaffirming her support for the position widely accepted here and internationally, RNA reports.

Upon arrival on Saturday, Ms. Ingabire stunned the local RPF political scene with comments that have never been spoken publicly on Rwandan territory. Tutsis, as well as Hutus, were massacred in 1994 but only Tutsis are remembered she charged at the Kigali Memorial center in Gisozi.

The comments are commonly fronted by exiled politicians but have not been heard here.

The stance provoked a fire-storm of attacks against her. By evening, Interior Minister Sheikh Musa Fazil Harelimana, himself head of a small ruling RPF party coalition partner, warmed that Ms. Ingabire could have to answer for the hard-hitting comments.

On Sunday, Genocide survivors’ group IBUKA and several other small political parties heavily criticized Ms. Ingabire for her stance – saying the comments do not have any place in Rwanda. However, the Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) – the biggest political party whose comments can be taken seriously, has not spoken out yet.

Though in interviews with international media like the BBC and VOA, Ms. Ingabire has stood by her position which IBUKA has already labeled as negationism, she is now also emphasizing the position believed by many.

“We agree totally and are conscious that there has been a genocide against Tutsis and we seriously and continuously advocate that all those who were responsible be brought before the courts of justice,” Ingabire says in her latest statement over the matter.

“Because of the many lives we lost in our country, let’s all of us together advocate for NEVER AGAIN,”

She adds: “Politicians, those aiming for political leadership, and any other person should stress NEVER AGAIN as their main motto for action.”

However, Ms. Ingabire is also tactfully separating how she describes the Tutsi massacres and those she claims were directed at Hutus. She refers to the latter as “serious crimes against humanity and war crimes”, and wants “those who committed them have to bear the legal consequences” but does not specify who carried out these alleged crimes.

“We must all the time remember those tragedies, make sure they don’t get ever repeated,” she adds.

Without making specific reference to negationism, the mother of four who has lived in Europe since 1993 points out: “It is also disgraceful to see some referring to that painful period in our history to lend others ideologies aimed at reducing the seriousness of crimes committed.”

Ms. Ingabire arrived with three-man team to layout the foundation for the registration of the Unified Democratic Forces Inkingi (FDU-Inkingi) party. Already, locally she was received by the PS Imberakuri group and the yet-to-be-registered Democratic Green Party of Rwanda.

Related Materials:
A Tribute To Presidential Hopeful Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza

Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza: I am back home

VICTOIRE INGABIRE UMUHOZA ACKNOWLEDGES THAT IN 1994 THERE HAS BEEN EFFECTIVELY A GENOCIDE IN RWANDA

Video: Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza at the Gisozi Genocide Memorial Site in Kigali

Rwanda's 1994 genocide and 2010 election

posted by Mamadou Kouyate @ 1:34 AM